Hello!

I have always been inspired by your magazine dealing with children and those who reach out to them, making their little lives better. I end up in tears, but usually they are tears of joy and I want to thank you for that.

I wanted to share with you a personal story regarding my daughter in law, Isailia (Chay) Cruz-Gravell and her passion for children and the joy it has brought to our lives. Chay is a child at heart which lead her to her profession, an elementary school teacher. She is hands on, heart on and one on one with those in her classes. The students seek her out, the parents are overjoyed when their child is in her class and she cares for her students like they are her own. Over the years she discovered she was missing that very thing, a child of her own. She has her husband, our son; Joey began planning for the child that would make them feel complete. It didn’t happen as planned, and after many medical treatments and meeting with several specialists, they decided they would adopt.

Here is their special story. Joey and Chay met in Majuro, Marshall Islands as student missionaries at a small Island school. They found out very quickly that they enjoyed the same things and before they knew it….they fell in love. After marrying in Puerto Rico, they moved to Maryland but decided their love for mission work was still in their hearts. They worked for several years on a mission ship-taking physicians to islands in desperate need of health care. It was very fulfilling. When they left the ship they moved to Atlanta still with the needs of the Islands, especially the children heavy on their hearts. When they started to discuss adoption, they knew just exactly what they wanted to do. They wanted to adopt a baby from Majuro, where their love story first began. They contacted and agency, filled out then endless paperwork, met with more people than they imagined and then….the phone call came. They had a son. We were there when they got the call. It was such joy, such celebration and then the planning for the trip began. They flew to Majuro and met their 2-week-old son, Jakob Beta Gravell in October 2006. We were able to join them for a week over there to bond with our new grandson and “Grand” he is! After spending 6 weeks there, they brought our precious Jakob home. Our joy was complete….or so we thought.

Joey, Chay and Jakob wanted to share their home and love with another child. They knew without a doubt where they would begin…Majuro. Again, more paperwork, more meetings, and then another call! Jakob’s sister, Chloey Beta Gravell was born on January 1, 2009. When I say sister, I mean sister in every sense of the word. Jakob’s birth mother is also Chloey’s birth mother. Joey, Chay, Jakob and Chay’s mother flew to Majuro to pick up little Chloey when she was a month old. She has completed their circle, our circle and we are overwhelmed with the joy that this miracle brings to our family. There is more…

Chay wanted Jakob to know his heritage, to know his birthplace to understand the language, so she wrote a small story about a Crab (Baru) who visits his friends on the Island. She made this darling story a lesson in the Marshallese language. She is using the profits of this book to help with the expense of Chloey’s adoption and to help other children adopted from the Marshall Islands remember their heritage.

If you are interested in knowing more about her story or the children in the Marshall Islands and what it takes to adopt these deserving children, Chay would be happy to discuss it with you. If you should do a show on International Adoption or an article in your magazine, she would be happy to contribute to it.

Thank you so much for your time in letting me share this story of Chay and what she is doing to enhance the lives of theses children. Thank you also for all you do to make us aware of the children of the world. There is so much left to do for all of them.

From a proud mother in law and grandmother….GiGi

Very Sincerely,

Ginger Gravell
8041 Paddington Lane
Cincinnati, Ohio 45249
Check the web site: http://web.mac.com/jgravell
937-271-3475